Flags flew at half staff in North Arlington Wednesday, and Montes De Oca's family led those gathered later that evening in prayer in both English and Spanish. Mourners assembled with candles, leaving bouquets of flowers in the rose bushes in front of a makeshift shrine.

His three brothers — the youngest, Franklin; Osmany, Osbrany's identical twin; and Sandro, the oldest — addressed the crowd, though Sandro did most of the talking. Osmany and Sandro are Marines, too, and the twins had enlisted together, in December of 2010.

"The last time I saw him was August," Sandro said. "I never got to tell him how much I loved him. That's one thing that hurts a lot, but I know he's hearing me out there."

Montes De Oca's girlfriend, Maria Samaniego, also spoke, recalling when she last talked with Osbrany.

"He said, 'This is what I gotta do, this is my job,'" Samaniego said. "But he let me know how much he loved me and his family and his friends."

"Words can't describe how much we miss him," she said, before breaking into tears.

The brothers turned their front steps into a podium Wednesday evening, and they and their friends took turns sharing memories, giving a glimpse behind the rigid military portrait of a lance corporal that now hangs in the window of the family's home.

The twins fought a lot. "You're ugly," Osbrany would say. "We're identical," Osmany would shoot back. They fought their other brothers, too, and their brothers' friends. The fighting was good natured, mostly.

Friends said when the two sat next to each other in the weight room at school, they looked like one chiseled athlete working out in front of a mirror. That mirror is broken now, though it remains unclear why.

The Department of Defense has not released details of Osbrany's death, except to say that he died of wounds sustained while conducting combat operations in Helmand province. A public viewing is planned from 2-6 p.m. Sunday at Parow Funeral Home in North Arlington.

Two of his brothers, the other Marines, will return to active duty.

"People always say, "Why do you do this? Why, why?'" Sandro Montes De Oca said. "People don't understand. I wouldn't trade what I do every day."